Bible Study series: Mark 9:1-13. Jesus reveals more of the glory of the kingdom in himself.
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Let’s begin.
Scripture: Mark 9:1-13
1 Then he said to him: “I tell you the truth: There are some who are standing here who will in no way experience death until they see the kingdom of God come in power.”
2 After six days, Jesus took along Peter, James, and John and brought them up a high mountain by themselves, alone. He was transformed in front of them. 3 His clothes became extremely radiantly white, such that a refiner on earth could not whiten them like that. 4 Elijah along with Moses appeared to them, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 Peter responded and said to Jesus: “Rabbi, it is great for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah!” 6 For he did not know what he was answering, for they were frightened. 7 And a cloud came and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly they looked around and saw no one but Jesus alone with them.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he ordered them that they must not relate what they saw, except when the Son of Man was raised from the dead. 10 So they kept the information to themselves, discussing what is “the raising of the dead.”
11 They asked him, saying: “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “Elijah indeed has come first and restores all things. And how is it written about the Son of Man? That he must suffer many things and be treated with contempt. 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it has been written of him. (Mark 9:1-13)
Comments:
This table contrasts Jesus and Moses:
| Jesus | Moses |
| Jesus takes three disciples up mountain (9:2) | Moses goes with three unnamed persons, plus seventy elders up the mountain (Exod. 24:1, 9) |
| Jesus is transfigured and his clothes become radiantly white. (9:2-3) | Moses’ skin shines when he descends from the mountain with God (Exod. 34:29) |
| God appears in veiled form in an overshadowing cloud (9:7) | God appears in veiled form in an overshadowing cloud (Exod. 24:15-16, 18) |
| A voice speaks from the cloud (9:7) | A voice speaks from cloud (Exod. 24:16) |
| The people are astonished when the see Jesus after he descends from mountain (9:15) | People are afraid to come near Moses after he descends from mountain (Exod. 35:30) |
| David E. Garland, p. 342 | |
In his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel David L. Turner provides a list of similarities between the transfiguration of Jesus and Moses on Sinai (Matthew: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Baker Academic, 2008], p. 419), slightly edited:
1.. The six-day interval (17:1; Exod. 24:16)
2.. The presence of three witnesses (Exod. 24:1)
3.. The high mountain (Exod. 24:1)
4.. The glorious appearing of the central figure (Exod. 34:29-30)
5.. The overshadowing cloud (Exod. 24:16)
6.. The fear of those who witnesses the glory (Exod. 34:29-30)
Here’s commentator R. T. France comment on the parallels with Moses:
More explicit are the repeated reminders of Moses’ experiences at Sinai in Ex. 24. Moses took three named companions (though also seventy others) up onto the high mountain to meet with God (Ex. 24:1, 9), and there they had a vision of divine glory (24:10); subsequently Moses went higher with only Joshua as companion (24:13–14); cloud covered the mountain (24:15), and after ‘six days’ Moses went up into it (24:16); there God spoke to Moses (Ex. 25ff.); when Moses relayed God’s words to the people, they promised to obey (24:3, 7). Mark’s narrative does not reproduce exactly the Exodus story, but there are enough verbal and conceptual echoes to trigger thoughts of a new Sinai experience, and perhaps of Jesus as a new Moses (see on v. 4). The fact that Elijah also met with God on the same mountain (1 Ki. 19:8–18) reinforces the link. (France’s comment on 9:2-13)
1:
The last clause of Mark 8:38 (the last verse in Mark 8) reads: the Son of Man “comes in the glory of his Father and with the holy angels.” Most commentators connect 9:1 with 8:38, as if 9:1 belongs to the one pericope (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea) or section of Scripture: 8:31-9:1. So do 8:38 and 9:1 refer to the same event or to two separate events? Commentator Strauss lays out the options of interpretations.
(1).. Jesus’s proclamation and actions manifest the kingdom presence and must be seen with the eyes of faith. This is the already and not yet aspect of the kingdom. It is already here partly, but not yet here in full manifestation.
5 The Kingdom of God: Already Here, But Not Yet Fully
(2).. The transfiguration in 9:2-13 is a preview of the revealed glory of the kingdom of God come with power.
(3).. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the inauguration of the kingdom come with power, and everyone alive when Jesus spoke 9:1 was still alive at that time.
(4).. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost is the beginning of the kingdom age come with power.
(5).. The kingdom come with power refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70; this is a preview of the time of final judgment when the kingdom will be fully manifest (as we wait two thousand years later and counting).
(6).. The coming of the Son of Man and the consummation of the kingdom (so Jesus miscalculated!). The problem is that Jesus will say that he does not know when the final, very end will happen (Mark 13:32), so he would not predict it now.
Why Didn’t Jesus Know the Day or the Hour of His Return?
The most natural interpretation is the second one. The transfiguration on the high mountain is a precursor or forerunner of the fully manifested kingdom when Jesus returns in the glory of the Father and with the holy angels. However, then why would Jesus say that some would not experience death (literally “taste” death) until they see the coming kingdom? That’s an odd promise, since Mark writes: “after six days.” Reply: Peter, James, and John are contrasted with the other nine disciples. The three would not taste death before they experience the kingdom coming in power in this life during the transfiguration, while the nine will have to wait until the final resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus returning in the glory of the Father and with the holy angels (8:38) and the three disciples not experiencing death until they see the kingdom of God come in power (9:11) are two separate events. The transfiguration promised in 9:1 is a foretaste of the return in promised in 8:38.
One more time, just to be clear: The transfiguration is a foretaste of his coming with the angels. Peter, James and John got to see the glorious kingdom at Jesus’s transfiguration before they died, while the nine will have died and will have to wait for his return to see his kingdom come with power.
The best support comes from 2 Peter 1:16-18:
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (2 Pet. 1:16-18)
Those verses in 2 Peter separate the Second Coming (Parousia) in v. 16 from the transfiguration. Peter and others were eyewitnesses to his majesty and the voice of God on the sacred mountain (vv. 17-18), which was a foretaste Jesus coming in power.
“I tell you the truth”: Jesus’s faith in his own words is remarkable and points to his unique calling. In the OT and later Jewish writings it indicates a solemn pronouncement. It means we must pay attention to it, for it is authoritative. He is about to declare an important and solemn message or statement. The clause appears only on the lips of Jesus.
That is, in Paul’s epistles, for example, he never says, “I truly say to you.” That phrasing had too much authority, which only Jesus had. The clause only appears on the lips of Jesus in the NT. The word appears in a Jewish culture and means “let it be so.” So Jesus speaks it out with special, divine emphasis. “Let this happen!” “Let what I’m about to say happen!” We better take it seriously and not just walk by it or read over it with a casual air.
“kingdom”: As noted in other verses that mention the kingdom in this commentary, the kingdom is God’s realm or dominion over which he exerts his power, authority, rule, reign and sovereignty. He exerts all those things over all the universe but more specifically over the lives of people. It is his invisible realm, and throughout the Gospels Jesus is explaining and demonstrating what it looks like before their very eyes and ears. It is gradually being manifested from the realm of faith to the visible realm, but it is not political in the human sense. It is a secret kingdom because it does not enter humanity with trumpets blaring and full power and glory. This grand display will happen when Jesus comes back. In his first coming, it woos people to surrender to it. We can enter God’s kingdom by being born again (John 3:3, 5), by repenting (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:5), by having the faith of children (Matt. 18:4; Mark 10:14-15), by being transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son whom God loves (Col. 1:13), and by seeing their own poverty and need for the kingdom (Matt. 5:3; Luke 6:20; Jas. 2:5). The kingdom has already come in part at his First Coming, but not yet with full manifestation and glory and power until his Second Coming.
Here are some of my posts about the kingdom of God:
1 Introducing the Kingdom of God (begin a ten-part series)
Bible Basics about the Kingdom of God
Questions and Answers about Kingdom of God
Basic Definition of Kingdom of God
“come”: the verb has a past “feel” to it. So it is best to see the verb as meaning the kingdom at the transfiguration “come in power” or “will have come in power.” The past is measured against the full manifestation of the kingdom at his return in the future. So from the disciples’ point of view, six days later seems the near future, but from the full kingdom’s point of view (and even Mark’s point of view when he wrote), the transfiguration is in the past. That’s how I interpret Mark’s use of perfected action.
2a:
Luke says about eight days, which is based on a Greek way of speaking for “about a week” (Carson). So there is no conflict of chronology.
Which mountain? Traditions says Mt. Tabor, and it is only 1900 feet high (579m), but there was a Roman garrison there. Others say Mt. Hermon, but it is 9,232 feet high (2814m), and it is much too cold and in Gentile territory. A popular alternative is Mt. Meron, which is the highest mountain in Palestine at 3926 ft. (1197m).
“After six days”: Mark does not mention time markers like this, except in Mark 13, where he does numerous times. So in this verse he is referring to the six days of cloud covers on Mt. Sinai as Moses prepare to ascend (Exod. 24:15-16). Jesus is fulfilling and going past Moses. More practically, it would take about six days to get to Mt. Tabor, which commentator R. T. France favors.
In any case, Jesus is up on a high mountain, and both Moses and Elijah went up a high mountain, Mt. Horeb, an alternative name for Mt. Sinai: Exod. 19 for Moses and 1 Kings 19:8 for Elijah, who spent forty days and forty nights, as Moses did too. That’s one reason why Elijah and Moses appears here.
2b-3:
Mark (and Matthew 17:2) says that Jesus “metamorphized,” a Greek word that means to transform. His clothes were so bright that Peter, as recorded by Mark, who probably heard and wrote down what Peter preached, added the detail that the clothes were so bright that no laundryman could bleach them as white (9:3). Matthew says they became “white as light.” Moses’s face shone with the glory of God (Exod. 34:29-35).
I am reminded of this Scripture in 2 Cor. 3:7-11:
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. (2 Cor. 3:7-11, ESV)
“refiner”: BDAG is considered by many to be the authoritative lexicon of the Greek NT. It defines refiner as follows: “A specialist in one or more of the processes in the treatment of cloth, including fulling, carding, cleaning, bleaching. Since the English term ‘fuller’ refers to one who shrinks and thickens cloth, a more general rendering such as cloth refiner is required to cover the various components. In our literature (only Mark 9:3) reference is to the bleaching aspect without suggesting that the term applies only to one engaged in that particular feature. Hence such glosses as ‘bleacher’ or ‘fuller’ would overly limit the professional niche” (BDAG p. 202, slightly edited).
Yes, Jesus lost his “shine” at the end of the transfiguration because he was still unresurrected and unascended, but now we have a glimpse of the glory he gave up and the glory that was restored to him. The New Covenant, however, is much more glorious than the Sinai covenant which Moses ratified.
A little systematic theology: people debate or are confused about what Jesus gave up when he became incarnated. Did he give up his divine attributes? No. He retained them, but he surrendered their use to his Father in heaven. They were hidden behind his humanity; indeed, his humanity was added to his divinity. Then what did he give up? He gave up the glorious environment of heaven and the prerogative to use the divine attributes. And now the three disciples have a taste of it, and so do we. We will share in it when we die.
I have covered this topic here:
4. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Took the Form of a Servant (a close reading of Phil. 2:6-8)
4:
All three versions say that Peter knew who the men were without their being introduced to him. Either this is a deliberate omission, and Jesus told them who they were, but this detail was unrecorded, or there was something about Moses and Elijah that Peter instantly recognized. Jesus surpasses both of these visitors, particularly when the Father proclaims that Jesus is his beloved Son and to hear him.
Moses for sure represents the lawgiver, and someone greater than he is here—Jesus. What about Elijah? He also represents restoration in John the Baptist. He also did not experience death, but a chariot took him up (2 Kings 2). Jesus is greater than Solomon and the temple (Matt. 12:6, 42), but here in this pericope he is greater than Moses also. Mal. 4:4-5 says a prophet like Elijah would arise and Deut. 18:15-19 says that a prophet like Moses would arise or return.
The Greek places Elijah first. This fits the later discussion about Elijah’s coming.
And by the way, the sign that the Pharisees were looking for (Mark 8:11-13), could be answered right here on this mountain. The problem? They were not privileged enough to see it!
5-6:
“shelters”: In Heb. 11:9 it means The Tent of Testimony or Tabernacle. It can also mean “dwelling” generally. Peter does not necessarily refer to the feast of tabernacles or booths (Exod. 23:16; 34:22; Lev. 23:39), but he wants to make temporary shelters with them. But if you want to make “tents” refer to the feast of booths or tabernacles, you may certainly do so.
Jesus accepted the title of Rabbi (cf. Matt. 23:8).
1. Titles of Jesus: Rabbi and Teacher
7:
God’s glory covering or overshadowing or enveloping them reflects the doctrine of Shekinah, particularly in the desert tabernacle (Exod. 40:34-38). See 2 Chron. 6:1, which says the Lord dwells in thick darkness.
“Son”: Let’s briefly touch on systematic theology. Jesus was the Son of the Father eternally, before creation. The Son has no beginning. He and the Father always were, together. The relationship is portrayed in this Father-Son way so we can understand who God is more clearly. Now he relates to us as his sons and daughters. On our repentance and salvation and union with Christ, we are brought into his eternal family.
See a quick study of “Son of God,” click on these posts:
3. Titles of Jesus: The Son of David and the Messiah
6. Titles of Jesus: The Son of God
The Trinity: What Are the Basics?
The Trinity: What Are Some Illustrations?
The Trinity: Why Would God Seem So Complicated?
The Trinity: What Does He Mean to Me?
The Father proclaims his total delight and pleasure in his Son. In Matt. 3:17, the Father also delights or is pleased with his Son—the same wording. It is in the aorist tense, but it may have an atemporal sense, so you could translate it “in whom I delight” or “in whom I have been pleased,” as I do in 3:17.
The point for us is that when we are in Christ, the Father delights in us as well. We begin our journey from the position of the Father’s love.
The Father tells Moses and Elijah to listen to him. The verb has the connotation of “obeying or heeding” Jesus.
“listen”: Recall that Jesus said that the one who hears and acts on his words is like the man who builds his house on a firm foundation, while the one who hears them and does not act on them is like a man who build his house on a weak foundation (Matt. 7:24-27). When the stormy flood waters rise, the first house will stand, while the second one will collapse. So hearing is more than just the physical act of hearing with your ears. It requires understanding and then obedience and action.
8:
The visitation is over. He commands the three not to tell anyone, presumably also the other nine. Again, Jesus does not want disinformation to leak out. The disciples were not quite grasping who he was, but now that they got a clearer picture, he did not want them to prematurely reveal it.
9-10:
The disciples just could not understand what the resurrection was. They discussed it among themselves. This time Jesus did not intervene to explain it to them. In just a short time later, they were see for themselves.
11. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was Resurrected from the Dead
12. Do I Really Know Jesus? What Was His Resurrected Body Like?
13. Do I Really Know Jesus? His Resurrection Changes Everything
It was bodily, but his body was transformed and glorified.
“Son of Man”: it both means the powerful, divine Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14) and the human son of man—Ezekiel himself—in the book of Ezekiel (numerous references). Jesus was and still is in heaven both divine and human. It can also be rightly translated as “Son of Humanity.”
4. Titles of Jesus: The Son of Man
11-13:
These verses refer to Elijah, yes, but he is represented anew by John. John was the transitional figure and he was destined and called to restore all things, before Jesus entered his ministry and during his more powerful ministry. Estimates are that he baptized hundreds of thousands and up to one million, depending on the population of Israel at that time. Whatever the exact number, it was a revival. Yet John baptized them with water, while Jesus was about to baptize repentant people with great the Spirit and fire. Sadly, the national politicians did what they wanted to him, and they were about to do the same with Jesus.
John’s ministry can be summed up in his own words: He proclaimed that Jesus was to become greater and he lesser (John 3:25-30). “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
But they did to him whatever they wanted. This refers to his arrest and execution (Mark 6:14-29). Jesus will likewise be mistreated and suffer many things. Jesus is drawing the parallels between himself and John.
The second half of v. 12 is very difficult to translate. Grammarian Decker translates it and puts it in parentheses as if it is an aside: (“Why then is it written about the Son of Man that he should suffer greatly and be rejected?”) In Decker’s notes he also suggests dividing the verse in two by long dashes: Elijah, indeed, coming first restoreth all things (so teach the scribes)—and how stands it written about the Son of Man?—that he should suffer many things and be set at nought!” (“Nought” is an older word meaning “nothing”). So in other words, divide the key sentence in two as I did.
One last note:
“teachers of the law”: they are also called scribes in other translations. To learn more about them, click here:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
This group, among others, was the Watchdogs of Theology and Behavior (David E. Garland, Luke: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Zondervan, 2011], p. 243). The problem which Jesus had with them can be summed up in Eccl. 7:16: “Be not overly righteous.” He did not quote that verse, but to him they were much too enamored with the finer points of the law, while neglecting its spirit (Luke 11:37-52; Matt. 23:1-36). Instead, he quoted this verse from Hos. 6:6: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13; 12:7, ESV). Overdoing righteousness damages one’s relationship with God and others.
“I tell you”: this clause denotes an authoritative and solemn pronouncement that may surprise his listeners and make them uncomfortable.
There are many references in the rabbinic writings expecting Elijah to come. All of these views must come from Mal. 4:5-6.
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (Mal. 4:5-6, NIV)
Elijah did suffer at the hands of Ahaz and Jezebel (1 Kings 19). Popular expectation says that he was not to be a suffering forerunner, but John’s life and Jesus’s assessment of his life turns him into a mini-suffering servant, like Jesus the Messiah is the Suffering Servant. Therefore it is probable that Jesus is radicalizing and overturning this popular non-suffering expectation of Elijah’s precursor ministry. John-Elijah’s suffering parallels Jesus’ suffering in the near future. Some believed that the Messiah would not suffer, much like Peter told Jesus that he must not predict his own suffering. It defied Messianic expectation. However, just as Elijah suffered under Jezebel, so John suffered under the oppression of Herod Antipas’s (unlawful) wife. The Herods did to him whatever they wanted. (I got some of these ideas from France, comment under 9:13).
GrowApp for Mark 9:1-13
1. Have you experienced God more fully? What about at your conversion?
2. God called Jesus his beloved Son. When we are in Christ and remain there, we share in God’s love. How do you respond to this truth?
RELATED
10. Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel
2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
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